Engine of Love
"Engine of Love" is the oldest song in Starlight Express. It was written in 1977, but not incorporated into the show until the Broadway production in 1987. Context Greaseball and his Gang have just finished their ode to Rolling Stock, when Rusty is heard in the distance, bringing with him the passenger coaches. Together they sing "Engine of Love", a fun, up-beat number about the power of steam. When used, "Engine of Love" is usually the third track and the second major song in the show. In the original West End production, "Call Me Rusty" was the second major song and the melody of "Engine of Love" was used for Pearl's pop number, "He Whistled at Me". The London show imported some of the Broadway revisions in 1988, including "Engine of Love" and "Make Up My Heart ". In the major 1992 revision, "Engine of Love was replaced by "Crazy" and its melody was once again used for Pearl's number in "He'll Whistle At Me", a dreamy ballad rendition of "He Whistled At Me". History Original 1977 Concept Recording Version "Engine of "Love" is the oldest song in Starlight Express, having been written in 1977 as a concept recording to promote Andrew Lloyd Webber's idea of doing a musical with trains. It was first heard in Starlight Express on Broadway in 1987. As a child, Webber read The Railway Series (otherwise known as the Thomas the Tank Engine books) by The Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry and retained such an affection for the books that he called one of his companies The Really Useful Company after the really useful engines in the stories. The project came to nothing, but three years later, Webber started working on a project of a Cinderella story using trains and proposed to release an album called "Soul Train." The release of the album turned out to be "Engine of Love" and "Steaming" sung by Earl Jordan and the Steam Team. Earl Jordan had an unusual talent of singing three notes at the same time, making it sound like a train whistle. The music was composed by Webber and the lyrics were written by Peter Reeves. Broadway Version When Starlight Express came to Broadway, Pearl's use of the melody in "He Whistled At Me" was replaced by "Make Up My Heart" and "Engine of Love" made its first appearance. It has been used for a majority of productions afterwards. The lyrics are by Richard Stilgoe. This version of the song also appeared in the Japan/Australia tours. Bochum Versions The Broadway version of "Engine of Love" was performed in Bochum in full until 2003. In 2003 it was shortened into a version that also incorporates elements of "Taunting Rusty". In 2008, "Engine of Love" was removed entirely. The song's title in German is "Liebesexpress". Alternative Version An alternative version of "Engine of Love" first appeared on the Broadway album "Music & Songs from Starlight Express" and was sung by Peter Hewlett. The verses are completely different from those used in the 1977 concept recording and the 1987 Broadway version. This version was also heard in the Toronto Studio Recording (not a cast album), and the 1988 Bochum Cast Recording, although the German version uses the same lyrics used on the stage. Video Engine of Love - Steven Skeels Bochum 1988 Engine of Love - Rommel Singson Bochum 2002 Lyrics 1977 Original Concept Lyrics 1987 Broadway Concept Album Lyrics 1987 Original Broadway Lyrics 1988 Original German Lyrics 2003 shortened version Gallery Rusty Coaches US87 Engine of Love 2.jpg|Broadway, 1987 Rusty Coaches Us87 Engine of Love 1.jpg|Broadway, 1987 Engine of Love Us89 1.jpg Engine of Love J87 01.jpg|Japan/Australia Tour, 1987 Engine of Love J90 01.jpg Trivia The lyrics refer to 'terrific sight' of 'the Big Boy on the Union Pacific'. The Big Boy was a famously powerful steam engine, designed in the 1940s to haul heavy loads across an area of Utah known to railroad companies as 'the helper district' because, before the Big Boy was invented, there wasn’t a locomotive powerful enough to make the climb without helper engines to pull them alonghttps://www.hornby.com/us-en/big-boy-steam-loco-dcc-ready-4014.html. By evoking the Big Boy, Rusty is reminiscing about a time when steam trains inspired awe. References Category:Songs Category:Deleted songs